Shinigami Chronicles
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: A prodigy, an up and coming warrior. A being without equal. This boy with limitless potential, unflinching resolve, and a loud mouth, will he even survive his training? If so, which side will he choose, in the coming war? Fluff, angst, adventure, romance
1. Rail

**Ohayo everybody! Well, if you haven't guessed it by now, this story, Shinigami Chronicles, is an adapted version, and therfore, branches off of my other story, Shinigami, just minus the Soul eater crossover, so i could implement a host of new ideas. Enjoy!**

He was late.

Very late.

"Alright everyone, that enough explanation, now line up for kido practice! We'll do this one by one, so do well!"

"Wait, what?" Ichigo scratched the back of his head as he snuck into the line, utterly and hopelessly lost, as thanks to the previous scuffle with that strange man, he'd been late to his very first class, and now, everyone was lining up for something, something he didn't even understand in the least. "What the heck is kido?"

"Well, Kido is one of the four basic Shinigami combat forms." Someone to the right of him spoke.

"Hmm?" Curious, he twisted his neck to see a petite looking girl, he could tell right away thanks to the red student robes she wore, who only came up to his chest, and had her hair back in pigtails. "You understand this stuff?"

"Mmhmm." The girl nodded."I...could explain it to you if you'd like."

"Please!" He whispered quietly. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"Okay." She took a deep breath to begin. "Kidō is the technique that Shinigami use to focus their Spiritual Energy into magic spells of various powers. These spells serve a wide variety of uses such as healing, defense, or combat."

"Spells?" Ichigo stared as the first line each raised a hand towards what looked like targets in the distance. Moments later, they declared Shakkaho, and several of the targets exploded in a small ball of crimson fire. "Wait, you mean like magic?"

"Yeah." She giggled at his perplexed look. "Its not that hard really. Each spell is graded on a scale from 1 to 99, the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. The scale is a measure of difficulty, and there can be multiple spells which share the same level. To use Kidō, you have to recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak."

She now turned her inquisitive gaze upon him. "Understand so far?"

"O-kaaaaay." He didn't get the whole chanting part, but at least this made sense.

Sorta.

"This weakness can be negated by Shinigami capable of using _Eishohaki-_

_"Ei-wha?" _Ichigo shook his head again. "How do you even say that?"

"Ei-sho-kai." The girl said it slowly, and waited until he had it. "It's using Kidō without a spirit chant. While it decreases the time needed to release the Kidō, it drastically weakens the spell."

"So wait, why would you wanna weaken the spell?"

"Well, if an enemy was after you, you'd need to use it quickly, right?"

"Nah," Ichigo grinned and shook his head. "I got Zangetsu. I don't need to worry about so pansy magic."

Her eyes widened slightly, as he patted the giant sword strapped to his back. A zanpaktou. It was large, nearly moreso than its wielder, a blade through and through, without even a hilt.

_'How does he already have one? And its so large..._

"Well," Composing her thoughts, she realized now was not the time to stare at his sword, but to help him, because he'd fail if he didn't get this right the first time. "What would happen if you didn't have the time to use it, or if it was stolen?"

"..." Realizing he couldn't admit that aloud, Ichigo glowered quietly, but nodded for her to continue, which she did in earnest.

"While anyone well versed in Kidō can use it without the chant, if you're not a skilled practitioner, the spell could actually prove fatal. The most skilled experts, captains', are capable of using this technique to amazing effect."

"Alright, alright." He waved her on, growing steadily impatient as it was nearly his turn. "Just hurry up!"

"The power of a spell relies on the power of the user, as even a low-level spell can be utterly devastating when utilized by someone like a captain.

"So....they're types then?"

"Mmm." She nodded once more, and, recognizing that he was next in line, hastily rattled them off:

**"Bakudō** (Binding spells): defensive spells which block or repel attacks or freezes enemies in place. **Hadō** (Destructive spells): refer to offensive spells which harm an enemy or cause damage.**Healing spells**: Well, they don't have names, numbers, or incantations to cast, they just heal the target."

"Okay, so what else is there-

"Ichigo Kurosaki!" He stiffened, turning towards the instructor, who beckoned him to the line. "You're up!"

Gulping, Ichigo walked up the steps that led to the line, and vaguely recalled something about having to push his spirit energy into his fist. There, the target lay directly before him, and now the instructor gave him the green.

"Shakkaho!" He barked, pushing as much force into the word as he could, scrunching his eyes tightly shut, whilst desperately trying to push as much energy into his hand as humanly possible.

KA-RUNCH!

The recoil of the blast _threw_ him off the stand, and into the lap of the girl who'd just helped him, which in effect, bowled them both over, end over end, until they'd finally come to a stop, tangled up in each other. "Eep!" She squeaked, and his eyes shot open, a crimson blush lighting his entire face.

_'Oi!'_

Mumbling a bashful apology, Ichigo quickly scrambled back up to see his handiwork. Which wasn't easy at first for black smoke stung at his retina's, blinding him, until a gust of wind blew all that smoke away. Everyone gasped, unable to believe their eyes. Now, all that remained of the target, and the block of wood that it had been standing upon.

Was a small crater, blackened to the point where no grass would ever grow again. He couldn't see a single ashen trace of his bullseye, and he really, really, hoped that was a good thing.

Sheepishly, Ichigo rubbed his burning hands, and turned to the proctor, who, along with all the other students, were staring at him in dumbfounded, slackjawed amazement.

"Well?" He finally managed.

"P-Pass." The man muttered, "Now take your seat." Ichigo sat back down, his face still burning, whether from the strain of using that much reaitsu, or from accidentally tackling the girl, he didn't know, though it was probably the latter.

"Hinamori Momo!" Ichigo only briefly glanced to his side, as the girl who'd helped him before, now took her place upon the soot covered stand, coughing from the still fading smoke.

"Shakkaho!" She declared, and her bullseye shattered neatly down the middle. There was no massive fiery explosion, just a neat, simple pop as her spell fizzled out once it was done.

Everyone clapped for _her_, he noted sadly.

--

Next up was combat class. Finally, something he knew how to do!

"Yatta!" Ichigo grinned, standing over his latest competitior. "I win again!"

The hour long combat class was absurdly easy. He'd picked up on the basics, and now...

"Eh?" The teacher was clearly both surprised, _and_ left in shambles, when Ichigo beat the tar out their best four year student, relentlessly pounding the senior until he couldn't hold his sword, and was practically left begging for mercy.

Granted, the freshman had already gained a zanpaktou before coming here, so he was above average to begin with, but even so, he'd absorbed the techniques of zanjutsu and basic swordplay at a ridiculously high rate, voraciously consuming every bit of knowledge that was sent his way.

The boy was a natural.

"Oi! Oi, Hisagi-sensei." The proctor now found himself staring down the edge of Ichigo's wooden sword, where eager, determined amber eyes met his own startled slate grey. "I wanna fight _you_ now."

"Well...Tugging at his collar, the Shuuhei gulped nervously, beginning to regret being the substitute teacher for this class, and now scrambling to make an excuse for his negligence. "I'd love too, but I forgot to...I forgot to bring an extra sword." The other proctor had the tar beaten outta him, and was currently recovering in the barracks, so obviously, they needed a sub, a position he gladly took for the sake of extra credit.

"Nah, there's an extra!" Ichig declared with a cheery grin, tossing him one of the many wooden training swords that lay scattered around the room. "So c'mon senpai! Let's go already!"

_'Oh dear kami!'_

Hisagi paled, cursing his luck.

If only he'd known that the rookie prodigy was in this class, he might've given the roster a more thorough look, rather than just glancing it over on his way to class this morning. And now, the same little devil who'd put _his_ senpai in the hospital, wanted to go a round with _him?_

"Alright," Forcing his arms to stop trembling, Hisagi steeled himself for the worst, and tried to assess the situation to his advantages, which, aside from him being several inches taller than Kurosaki, didn't amount to much.

"Come!"

--

_(One hour later)_

"Hehe," Ichigo grinned, crossing both arms behind his head as they made their way down the halls, carefully navigating through the flow of traffic that often came with lunch. "You shoulda seen it Rukia! He was all like "Ya!" but then I was like "Hiya!" and BAM!" With a sharp popping sound, he clapped his hands together, as if this simple motion, compared to all the exagerated hand gestures he'd made before, summed up his sparring session with Hisagi-sensei.

"Down he went!" With a laugh, Ichigo turned to Abarai, just to see what his rival thought of that. He was met with a low growl, something that only made Ichigo grin again and rib the redhead in the side, eliciting a pained hiss from his fellow student.

Noting the ragged state of his hakama, Ichigo could not help but take the verbal opening Renji had left him. "Aw, whatsamatter Renji? Did your kido blow up in your face again?"

"Punk." Renji glowered, looking away to wipe another smudge of dirt off his sleeve, a small testament to the failed lesson at using soul reaper magic today. "You know I suck at this magic crap just as much as you do!"

There was no way Ichigo was going to take that insult lying down. "Oh yeah?!" He snarled, balling one hand into a fist around the pommel of Zangetsu's clothed hilt, "Well, at least my spells work nine times outta ten! _You_ fail half the time, idiot!"

"Shut up!" Renji snapped back. "Just because you got your zanpaktou first, doesn't mean you're better than me!"

"Oh, Ichigo countered with excess sarcasm, "That's right! I forgot how _awesome_ you were with a katana! Really, it takes loads of skill to get your ass beat fifteen times in a row!"

"Strawberry!" Renji snarled.

"Pineapple head!" Ichigo shot back.

"Both of you, quit it!" Rukia shrieked suddenly, startling them as they came to the archway leading outside. "It's only our first week here, and you're already starting trouble! Now stop fighting and be quiet!"

At this, the duo fell silent, sulking.

_'Well...he started it.'_

"I-chi-go!" The group looked about as someone called for him. "Over here!" Recognizing the voice immediately, Kurosaki saw Hinamori sitting off to the left, with several other students. "Come sit with us!"

"Made some friends, eh?" Now it was Renji's turn to rib Ichigo, who blushed at it "Hey, and she's pretty cute to-oof!" Abarai Renji found himself silenced as Ichigo buried his elbow within the face of his tattooed friend. "Forget this." Ichigo muttered, shoving past Renji, and his newly aqcuired nosebleed. "I'm gonna go sit with Kira and Momo. You wanna come, Rukia?"

"Sure." She shot Renji a fuming glare, then follow after Ichigo.

"So," She asked, as they weaved through the crowd of students. "When did you get that?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Once more, he patted Zangetsu appreciatively, grinning happily as he did so, but the grin fell away to confusion when he noticed Rukia's muddled expression. "Wha, you mean you don't have one, Rukia?"

"No." She shook her head. "Ichigo, look around."

He did so, and found nothing out of the ordinary, just regular kids enjoying lunch before heading back to class.

"So?"

"Baka." She leaned forward and up on her heels, tapped him lightly on the forehead with her pointer finger, frowning at the fact that she had to get on her tip-toes to do so now. When did he get so tall? "You're not even a soul reaper yet, and you already have a soul reaper's zanpaktou."

"So?" He shrugged, as they stepped around a table, with Hinamori and Izuru now well within sight, having made room for the two of them to sit alongside them. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Rukia shook her head,

"So we have kido practice after lunch, huh?" Kira mumbled, chewing thoughtfully on his mouthfull sushi. "Are you going to blow up the building this time, Kurosaki-san?"

"Tch." Ichigo grit his teeth and bit back an offensive comment. He knew Izuru was only kidding, but that did nothing to soften the blow, for he was still seething from the lack of admiration given to him at practice.

Imagine his surprise when Rukia suddenly decided to speak up in his defense.

"Well, we'll just see then, won't we, Kira?"

Oh, and they saw it alright.

_'His spiritual pressure...it's..._

"Ta-da!" After digging through the rubble, what the instructor found, was Ichigo standing atop the debris, grinning, enjoying the gobsmacked looks everyone wore at the sight of the huge crater he'd probably made with a simple shakkaho spell, just by electing to use the full chant, instead of barking out the spell's name and number first. "So whaddya think?"

The instructor shook his head knowingly, sadly. "Ichigo, you can't blow up the building and expect to get a good grade like this." When the classroom had exploded, everyone had feared the worse. And now, it turned out to be just another one of Ichigo's reckless stunts. However, his words held no truth to them. To make matters worse, Ichigo executed the spell perfectly, meaning he couldn't be given detention or a failing grade.

What a letdown....

--

"Head captain Yamamoto!"

The aged captain commanded looked up from his desk, squinted eyes widening slightly in surprise as he read over the report. An entire laboratory, destroyed by one student, using kido alone?

He knew this boy was a prodigy, just like Gin Ichimaru, just like Hisagi Shuheii, however, they did not go about demolishing costly classrooms on an almost daily to regular basis.

"This boy....such recklesness...

--

And so the days passed. The classes, zanjutsu with Hisagi-sensei, kido with Rukia, not to mention basic math, english and history, were all meticulously boring, and weren't even remotely interesting, though he _did_ enjoy his hoho and hakudo practice at times, when Renj and Izuru joined in. Hell, sometimes Hinamori and Rukia came to watch, which only served to brighten Ichigo's day.

Some said he was even getting outside help, a fact which Ichigo fervently denied, and for good reason. Yesterday's incident with Hisaggi remained all too fresh in his mind....

--

_(Earlier)_

"Eh?" Ichigo glanced around, confused as to why he had been brought here, to an abandoned classroom, one of the few that had fallen into disrepair over the years, and thusly, been used for storage.

A sense of dread coiled in his stomach as the door locked itself behind them.

"Kurosaki, draw your sword." Hisagi commanded, his back still to the first year, his sword escaping its freshly made scabbard, creating a metallic hiss as it was set free. "We're going to have a duel."

"Reap." Hisagi declared quietly, his sword glowing a bright teal as its tip escaped the sheathe. "Kazeshini."

As the green aura faded from his body, Ichigo saw that the sword had taken the form of two _Kusarigama_-like weapons, each with two sickle blades, with one inverted, giving it the resemblance of a fan. The blades were connected to a spiked rod tethered together by a long chain.

"Is that...?"

"Yeah, this is my zanpaktou, Kazeshini."

With a deft twist of his wrist, Hisagi proved he was just as adept in the use of his shikai as he was with his sword, wrapping the first half of the chain around Ichigo's hands, tying them together.

Yanking hard upon the chain, he drew Ichigo forward, where the chain uncoiled just long enough for Ichigo to desperately reach for Zangetsu's hilt, still strapped to his back.

Too late, the chant was finished.

"Sajo Sabaku!" Hisagi declared, and the binding spell wrapped its many chains around the boy, binding his arms in place, throwing him down to the ground, before he could even hope to draw Zangetsu.

"Teme!" He snarled, struggling against the chains that bound him. "Lemme go-

"Do you see now?" Hisagi intoned ominously, hanging one of the scythe's near Ichigo's face, its slick edge opening a ruby gash upon his right cheek. "I've been holding back on you this entire time. If I'd wanted to, I could've killed you just now, just like that. You've got power, but that's all you have. Your speed is sorely lacking."

"Nrgh...what's your point?" He growled.

"My point is, get off your ass and train, Kurosaki."

--

Remembering well Hisagi-san's warning, however, Ichigo applied himself to his studies, even when his heart really wasn't in it half the time and just wanted to read or sleep. Zangetsu would occasionally lend him hints or help him during a test, something that proved to be a godsend, for his grades had begun to slip as his attention waxed and waned in the evening hours.

And then, as if taking dual classes weren't trouble enough, the dreams returned. Those of him and that woman, whom he was beginning to suspect was his mother, on the riverbank, and that dark, looming shape, its gaping maw open wide, that flash of silver...

"Oi, Ichigo. Get some sleep already."

Ichigo, with a book in his lap, shook his head clear of the waking dream, instead watching the sun set in the west from the window of the dormitory he shared with Renji. Despite his efforts to take his mind off of the situation, his thoughts wouldn't leave the dreams and his state of sanity alone.

Renji leered up at him from the lower bunk.

"We've got that test tomorrow, remember?"

The orange haired reaper sighed, shrugged, and closed his book.

"Yeah, I guess I should rest....

**Well, I hope all of you enjoyed it! R&R please, and enjoy the story! Next time: Tests, adoption, and death.**

_(Preview)_

_Ichigo, still reeling from the events of what had just occurred, blankly stared at captain Ukitake. He'd just been rudely dragged out of his bed, summons from a captain, his proctor had said as he dragged the first year through the halls. Ichigo understood the reasoning behind it, but why were the summons now, and why did it have to be at five AM?!_

_"Sir?" He stifled a yawn, "Why did you call me here?"_

_"..." For a moment, the captain didn't answer._

_Ichigo didn't understand why he'd been called here. And to make matters worse, Rukia, whom he'd bumped into on his way here, was terribly upset about something, having now withdrawn into herself, the look of utter misery upon her face forever etched into his mind._

_Was it because she'd been adopted into the Kuchiki clan, and graduated early? No, that didn't make sense. Renji was down about it, true, but Rukia had only just been transferred to squad thirteen, and she'd been nothing short of elated. So why would she-_

_"Kurosaki-san, I have a favor to ask of you."_

_"Eh?" His eyes tripled as Ukitakte turned slightly, exposing a certain item. Ichigo both saw and recognized the badge resting upon the cushion. It was the mark, the crested armband of the squad thirteen. And it was splattered with blood as if...._

_"When you graduate, I'd like you to take over Kaien's position...as my lieutenant."_

_Ichigo froze, unable to believe his eyes and ears. He couldn't believe what he was being offered here, then again, most people wouldn't understand it either. He wasn't even in his second year, and already, he was offered a guarranteed position in a squad?_

_"Wait...what happened to Kaien-dono?"_

_The look Ukitake wore spoke volumes in the silence._

_"Kaien has...passed on."_

--


	2. Rain

**You people...better review! I worked really hard on this chappy! And yes the Character selection is Ichigo/Rukia, however, their romance is undetermined as of yet. PM me for pairings if you want something different, and who knows?**

**Rain, in more ways that one**

"What?!" Ichigo couldn't believe his ears, and didn't want to trust his eyes right now that he realized what this terrible test actually was. "Renji, you said we we're having a test!"

"Yeah, so?" Abarai didn't even flinch as he stepped out of the senkaimon behind Ichigo.

Ichigo angrily glared around at the field for emphasis. The exam had turned out to be an actual combat trial 'in the field' as they'd put it. Meaning that they'd be practicing against dummy hollows in the material, so they'd be ready for the real thing.

"You didn't tell me this test would be in the world of the living! I thought it was a textbook exam or something, damnit!"

"Begin!" The instructor ordered, and everyone raised their blade.

_(Five hours later)_

"Oiiiii!" Ichigo groaned, rubbing his sore scalp, a result from another near miss. "You trying to take my head off instead of the hollow's?!"

"That would be the idea." Renji grinned, enjoying the slightly gobsmacked look Ichigo wore. "But hey, Rukia might've taken your right arm and your head, though." Ichigo blanched a bit at this, suddenly grateful that Rukia _wasn't_ in the same class as he.

"Agh!" Momo cried, throwing her arms up over her head, "You guys are impossible!! I'm going to go look for Izuru!"

Renji stopped laughing as Ichigo vaulted to his feet. "Oh no you don't!" He snapped, ready to tail after Hinamori, who had already taken off ahead of them. However, a loose grip on her shoulder directed him otherwise.

"Don't bother," came Renji's indolent voice, "She's not going to be able to keep up with him, much less _find _him. Why do you think Izuru took a break and went on ahead of us once he finished?"

Renji had a point. Next to Ichigo, Kira Izuru _was _the most accomplished academy student in their age group, at least when it came to slipping away unnoticed, and in that comparison, Momo hardly had any skill at all. Still, the thought of her being alone with _Izuru _churned Ichigo's stomach somehow.

It was then the storm started. Lightly at first, just at few droplets every so often, but soon the fall of rain increased and the sky darkened to a menacing black. There was a clap of thunder, and a few of the student's yelped, covering their heads with their arms. Even Renji cringed, stuffing the pack hastily in his jacket. He had never been one for thunderstorms, and he most certainly did not like being stuck in the middle of one.

"We'd better head back." Renji muttered, wincing again as an ominous clap of thunder filled the air, spurring the students back to the safety of the barracks, were the senkaimon awaited. "It wasn't supposed to rain, so I'm sure Hisagi-san will understand-

"Nah," Ichigo shook his head, peering into the forest where their teammate had just been, and still had yet to return from as of yet. "Momo's out in that. I better go get her."

"Y-Yeah, thanks, Ichigo." Renji seemed relieved that he didn't have to go out in this weather, shrugging back on his practice sword as the strawberry in turn strapped on Zangetsu. "I'll have a hot bowl of ramen waiting for all four of us when you two get back."

"Make sure it's miso ramen." Ichigo called over his shoulder, his long stride easily carrying him across the field and into the wooods...

--

'_Thanks, Ichigo_.' His colleague's words kept playing over and over in his mind, as if to taunt him.

_'Yeah, thanks alot.'_

Spreading his jacket out on the ground for it to dry, _Ichigo _began cursing himself. Why had he tried so hard to impress Renji? Why hadn't he let the baka go on by himself, and be the one to gather a search party? Anything would be better than being lost in a storm in the middle of nowhere.

Sparing one last glance at the still sleeping Momo, he headed towards the mouth of the cave...

--

The throbbing began to ebb away slowly, the harsh pain fading with the darkness.

Momo opened her eyes to see a dimly lit patch of stalactites, each of the dripstones jabbing down from the ceiling above her. She sat up with a panicked start, only to fall back down to the hard ground with a dull thud. Her head whirled as an immense pain rocketed through her mind, practically pinning her to the ground.

_What happened? _she thought as her brain thumped painfully against the inside of her skull. _Where the hell am I?_

She sat back up, much slower this time. Her head still ached ferociously, but she was able to maintain her upright position. She looked back and forth, noting the rock walls on either side of her. She squinted against a spot of harsh light, her mind immediately recognizing it as the mouth of the cave, and the light as the flash of lightning.

_So, _she thought with a small wince, _I'm in a cave. How did I get here?_

She looked around a bit more, noticing that a small pool of water had formed in the corner of this subterranean hovel. She crawled over to the puddle and lowered her small palms into the water, cupping her hands together before bringing them up to her mouth. Slowly she drank from it, the mineral rich water quenching her burning throat. She attempted to stand, but stopped halfway through straightening her legs; the movements caused a bolt of pain to race through her head.

A sharp curse drew her attention to the west.

"Freeze to death?!" Ichigo muttered to himself, voice rising as he whirled around to kick at a pile of soaked firewoood, "She oughta be grateful I found shelter from the storm!" He pointed sharply to the mouth of the cave, which revealed the ongoing downpour, streaks of lightning lighting up the sky every so often, then back to his sword. "If it wasn't for me," Ichigo continued, "She'd still be out in that, so she'll be thankful I rescued her when I did!"

Funny, it looked like he was talking to someone she couldn't see, or at the very least, talking to himself. As the one sided conversation rapidly degenerated into one way name-calling, she decided now was as good a time as any to alert him of her return to conciousness.

"Um...Ichigo?"

"Eh?" He jerked his gaze sharply to the right, his frown vanishing with a small, choked cry. "O-Oi! You're awake!"

A few minutes later, thanks to Momo's skill in kido, they had a warm fire going, the thought of 'freezing to death' the furthest possible thing from their minds.

"Neh, Ichigo." She nudged him slightly, and he turned, surprised to find himself staring at her innocent smile.

"Thank you. I didn't think anyone would find me out here."

"Well...we're friends." Ichigo replied solemnly, clasping her hand for only a moment. "Friend's look out for each other."

"Mmm." She nodded, and forced herself to release his hand. "I never found Izuru, though."

"Oh, him?" Ichigo snickered suddenly, earning an odd glance from Momo. "He already went back."

"What?!"

He began to laugh at her reaction, but a faint sound pricked at his ears.

Wait. The smile faded, replaced by a frown. Was that an earthquake, was that a scream he heard suddenly? Dreading what he might find there, Ichigo slowly turned his gaze to the floor, and sure enough, the puddle rippled as another tremor shook the cavern.

Why was the ground trembling?

A massive roar suddenly bellowed from outside the cavern. Ichigo rushed to the mouth of the cave, his eyes immediately widening at what he saw. Before him stood at least a dozen _Gillian_-level Menos, their large white faces towering above the layer of fog that enveloped the ground. Momo watched in stunned silence as the huge beasts continued to move in lumbering unison, their black bodies bumping against each other as they marched through the darkness.

"_Gillian_," Ichigo hissed through his teeth as they turned and tilted in their steady, swaying stride, a slow and beleagured pace, emitting low burbling sounds as it swiveled itself this way and that.

"Th-That's a M-Menos Grande!" Momo's paled in fright, clutched at Ichigo s' sleeve, hiding herself behind him in her fright. "W-What's a menos doing here?!" Ichigo was just as much at a loss for words as she.

"You think I know that?!"

So many hollow, too many to fight. If those things found them, they'd be...The prospect of it terrified him. Why on earth had all these hollow come here, now of all places? Surely the training exercise hadn't attracted them, so why on earth-

Another wailing roar interrupted them, and both students froze as the huge white booted foot, connected to a long white leg, suddenly blocked the mouth of the cave, exposing just the tattered underside of what should the black tattered robe their kind wore.

_"Grrraaa?"_

One of the _Gillian _in the line suddenly stopped, the one directly behind him bumping into it with an inattentive stupidity. The lead monster maintained its inactivity for a few moments before opening its ghastly smile and snapping a red _cero _down into the fog-covered ground. Within a second or two, the rest of the line followed suit, each of the massive Hollows blasting towards the ground with their enormous crimson rays.

It didn't take much to guess the intent of these creatures.

They were looking for _food_.

"Sh!" Ichigo clamped a hand across her mouth for silence, and pulled her back as far as he dare into the cave. "I don't think they've seen us yet."

Another wail, as whatever the menos had become interested in, moved on. The booted feet stamped past the mouth of the cave, then another, and another, the trembling pulsations slowly fading away as quickly as they had come.

"Whew." He sighed, releasing her. "I think we're-

"A-ACHOO!"

Momo sneezed loudly, and Ichigo swore under his breath as the loud shout filled the cave, reverberating off the walls, floor and ceiling, then out into the open air, where the lead gillian paused suddenly.

"M-Maybe, no one will hear it...

_"GRRRRAAA!"_

A dozen similair screams echoed the ghastly screech.

"There's your answer." Ichigo grumbled, just before something slammed into their roof, catapaulting the two unaware students out into the open, and away from the precious shelter of their cave.

"_Shit_," Ichigo grunted as he leapt out from the cave, his back landing harshly on the ground. An enormous body followed them out into the forest almost immediately, the thick white tail lashing out at an incredible speed. Ichigo barely leapt out of the way as the ivory-covered creature demolished the tree behind him, its massive coils moving far quicker than the Shinigami had anticipated.

Ichigo slashed out with his zanpakuto, the cleaver-shaped blade sticking into the hardened flash of the massive body. He quickly pulled back, watching in irritation as the monster's wound began to close as a white liquid seeped out of the hole in its flesh, sealing the gash almost immediately.

Every time the Shinigami would cut him, _Zangetsu's _large blade could barely penetrate the hard flesh. And when it did, the lesions would immediately heal themselves. The other hollow were beginning to take notice now,

"Momo!" He snarled, hacking at another tentacle, only for another to curl around his waist, raising him high into the air, then cut down in turn as he viciously backpedalled away from the undulating mass of tentacles and teeth. "Get outta here!"

"B-But-

"I said GO!" He barked, bringing Zangetsu up in a broad arc slashing at the ground, leaving a huge swathe of blue fire to devour everything in its path. shoving her through the opening he'd created. "Run!"

No sooner had Momo gotten down on her hands and knees, then a waist high hollow leapt out of the fray, ran towards her tried to gouge her eyes out with its pincers.

Its slavering teeth were one more reason for her to book it.

She bolted, hit the ground running, hoping the wayward ghoul wasn't pursuing her, but the constant burbling gurgles suggested strongly otherwise. She ran, hard and fast, not caring that the branches raked her arms blood, tearing at her pants and hakama, wanting only to get away from the creature chasing her, away from the fear....

Until at last the root tripped her up.

Immediately, the holllow, for it had been following her this entire pounced on her, tearing at slashing at her robe with reckless abandon. She cried out in pain, batting it away with her hands, only for the little brute to sink its teeth into her forearm.

"Aaaaah! No, no, NO! Get away! _Get away from meeeee!" _Shrieking with all the fury of blind hysteria, Momo grabbed at her sword, frantically clawed at the thing with her free hand, wildly stabbing, hacking, slashing, until the diminutive little imp had at last ceased to function.

With a small cry, the rest of her body fell to the ground, quivering from the horrendous experience, Momo cursing herself as she began to weep in self-pity. She hated that she couldn't get up and get back to his side and help him; she hated that he had made the sacrifice and all she could do was crumple into a sobbing and helpless ball.

_'N-No...no, _she thought defiantly, digging her fingers into the mud as she struggled to push herself up from the pathetic position she'd curled herself into. '_I am _not _going to let him...I'm not going to let him..._

_Then do something about it. _A young voice barked harshly. _You've already woken me up, now put me to good use, shinigami._

Idly, she was aware that her sword had changed slightly, the faceless katana gaining several jitte-like prongs along its length, its bland hilt gaining a rich, vibrant red color.

"W-Who are you?" She stuttered, fumbling at the words. "A-Are you...my zanpaktou?"

_Doesn't matter. _The voice insisted angrily._ Now get up! We have to move! Now!_

She was suddenly on her feet, the tears drying on her cheeks as she retraced her steps towards the forest. She gripped the handle of her zanpakuto tightly, causing the steel to shake audibly as her feet pounded atop the cold, muddy earth below her. She could still feel Ichigo's _reiatsu, _even if it was extremely faint as it wafted in from the distance.

An enormous Hollow suddenly erupted out of the trees, its hideous mask snarling down at her. Screaming until she was hoarse, Momo leapt up without even slowing her pace, the pale edge of her jutted sword bifurcating the ivory face of the massive monster. She landed as another of the monsters appeared in front of her, causing her to snarl in fear and fright as she prepared to attack it as well. In a sudden eruption of soggy earth, however, three more of the giant beasts appeared and formed a circle around her. With a yell, she launched herself forward with reckless abandon, _Tobiume's _edge gleaming violently in the rain as it frantically hacked and slashed at the creatures that would devour her, if given the chance.

One of the Hollows blindsided her, viciously slapping her petite body out of the air and into the muddy water below. The wind rushed painfully out of her lungs when she hit the shallow pool, right her arm breaking as she landed awkwardly upon it. She quickly rolled onto her back, squinting her eyes as the a sharp flash of lightning drenched her face, her mind racing through the pain as she struggled to think and the group of monsters encircled her fallen body. She stared up in silent horror as the four towering shadows swallowed up her body.

"Soren Soukatsui!" She gasped, but the spell refused to form. Only then did she realize she'd run out of reaitsu, her blooded sword the only source of her existence at this moment.

She was going to die.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

And then she was in the rain again, the bodies of the giant Hollow melting and fluttering away one by one as they perished.

With a blink of surprise, Momo forced herself to sit up and look around, her dark eyes squinting through the rain, looking for her unexpected savior. Her mouth curved up into a wide, disbelieving smile as she saw the bloodied orange-haired student standing off to the side, his face staring forward at the remainder of the trees, hidden in shadow.

"Ichigo!" Momo gasped in hope and happiness as she struggled to stand, placing the majority of her weight upon the newly formed _Tobiume _in her left hand as she pushed herself to her feet and shuffled towards him. "Ichigo, you're bleeding!" We need to go get help and and… help…"

Suddenly realizing she couldn't stand anymore, Hinamori Momo slumped over, out of breath and exhausted. He blinked in surprising, crouching down to catch her in his arms.

"Oi, I'm gonna carry you. You've got a sprained ankle."

"We'll never graduate at this rate." Unaware of him speaking, sulked, realizing that the test had ended in complete and abrupt failure. Ichigo had done all the work, all the planning, all the hacking, cutting and slashing, that was all him. "I-I'm a failure. How can someone like me ever become a shinigami?"

And what had she done?

She'd run away, her tail between her legs.

"Well, the way I see it, the best way to graduate is for everyone to work hard."

"N-Nani?" Momo blushed, this time not just from the fact that Ichigo was carrying her in his arms, much like a groom would his bride. So much had just happened in the past twenty-four hours. That freak storm, the sudden awakening of her zanpaktou into shikai, his declaration that she was definitely one of his most important nakama, and-and-

"Hehe." Ichigo chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face as he wearily trudged back towards the academy barracks, both of which were still a long ways off. "Maybe, but that's just me."

Momo noddded, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"What?" Curious, he had to ask. "What're you thinking about?"

"Maybe you should've been adopted into the Kuchiki clan instead of Rukia, Ichigo."

The news hit him like a sledgehammer.

"Huh?"

He couldn't believe it-no, he didn't want to believe it. Rukia, adopted into the Kuchiki clan? How on earth did that happen? Just yesterday, she'd been any ordinary student, just this morning, they'd been studying together for an exam!

"Didn't Renji tell you? Byakuya-sama came to pick her up just this morning."

And now, just like that, she'd been bumped up to graduation, ahead of everyone else?

Just like that, she was gone, forever out of their reach both in rank and in class? They'd never talk again, never share lunch, never help each other cheat on exams? No, his mind refused to believe it, and refuted the process required to understand it.

_'Renji!'_

As if by fate, as the duo neared the barracks, Renji was one of the first few to meet them, his eyes widening slightly when he saw Momo, her arms wrapped around Ichigo's neck, but when he saw Ichigo, his arms easily carrying her petite body, a relieved smile lighting his face. But the low growl from Ichigo warned him otherwise, that everything was very much _not _alright.

Passing Momo off to the first medic he passed, Ichigo all but lunged at Renji, the fierce scream ripping

Upon seeing the murderous look Ichigo wore, Renji panicked. Immediately, he tried to back up, but instead, slipped and fell, tumbling backwards into the mud.

"Renji!" Indignant, he rounded on Abarai, seizing the redhead by his collar, ramming him bodily against the nearest tree. Several students, eager for some action, any distinction from their boring routine of classes, slowed enough to watch the spectacle unfold, and soon a crowd had formed around the two

"Teme!" Ichigo tightened his hand, into a fist, cocked it back as far as his arm would allow, as if he were prepared to give a knockout blow. "What did you tell her?! You said something, didn't you?!"

Renji's sullen frown was in sharp contrast to Ichigo's fierce scowl.

"I told her...I was happy for her! She deserves better than this! She deserves better than us, Ichigo!"

"What...did you say, Renji...?"His tone took on a dangerous edge, but the full weight of Abarai's words still had yet to sink in entirely. Numb. For a moment, everything was numb and quiet. Then, the wells of untapped fury and frustration burst, surging under Ichigo's skin and into his veins.

Happy? Happy for her? Happy for _her?!_

Moron! Idiot! Baka Yarou! Didn't he understand?! He was breaking up the group, and so was she! They'd been together, they'd been best friends, _nakama_, since their earliest days in Rukon, and now...now...

"BASTARD!" Before he could stop, Ichigo swung, swung with all his might, and there was the wet sound of fist meeting face. "WHO SAID YOU COULD DO THAT, HUH?!" Renji, still refusing to fight, crumpled away from the blow, sinking to the ground, where he collapsed on his hands and knees, weakly clutching at his right eye, which was already starting to swell from the blow.

"I'm not happy for her." Ichigo muttered, his head drooping as the tears began to form. He could hear some of the students congratulating him, other's chastising him, and still others calling for the teacher.

"I'm not happy for her." Ichigo repeated quietly, stalking back to his dorm. "And I won't be."

--

Ichigo, still reeling from the events of what had just occurred, now stared blankly at captain Ukitake. He'd just been rudely dragged out of his bed, summons from a captain, his proctor had said as he dragged the first year through the halls. Ichigo understood the reasoning behind it, but why were the summons now, and why did it have to be at five AM?!

"Sir?" His voice, wavering somewhere between grumpy irritation and required respect, stifled a yawn. "Why did you call me here?"

"..." For a moment, Ukitake-taichou didn't answer.

Ichigo didn't understand why he'd been called here. And to make matters worse, Rukia, whom he'd bumped into on his way here, was terribly upset about something, having now withdrawn into herself, the look of utter misery upon her face forever etched into his mind.

Was it because she'd been adopted into the Kuchiki clan, and graduated early? No, that didn't make sense. Renji was down about it, true, but Rukia had only _just_ been transferred to squad thirteen, and she'd probably been nothing short of elated. So why would she-

"Kurosaki-san, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Eh?" His eyes tripled as Ukitake turned slightly, exposing a certain item. Ichigo both saw and recognized the badge resting upon the cushion. It was the mark, the summer snowflake, the symbol of hope, crested armband of the squad thirteen. And it was splattered with blood as if....

"When you graduate, I'd like you to take over Kaien's position...as my lieutenant."

Ichigo froze, unable to believe his eyes and ears. He couldn't believe what he was being offered here, then again, most people wouldn't understand it either. He wasn't even in his second year, and already, he was offered a guaranteed position in a squad?

"Wait." He struggled to make sense of this situation, to find himself so he could speak properly. "What happened to Kaien-dono? Why isn't he wearing this..."

The words faded away, for the grim look Ukitake wore spoke volumes in the silence.

"Oh...oh god no."

Ukitake nodded.

"Kaien has...passed on. He was killed last night."

"Who?! Who did it?! Who killed him?!"

"Rukia." Ukitake breathed, and Ichigo's eyes nearly widened to the point of extrication, his body stayed only by the stern glare given him by the now slightly irritated captain. "It's along story, so I suggest you sit down, Ichigo."

And so he sat.

**Next time: Exams, confusion, graduation. That's Ichigo Fuku-taichou to you!**


	3. Racket

**I'm sure your all wondering why Kaien died so early, when Rukia was supposed to train with him. Well, to that regard, it'll be explained further along as the story progresses.**

**Graduation, Aggravation**

_You don't smile that often._

_Maybe a grin, a smirk. The occasional snicker. No smiles._

_You are surely like metal. You are cold and smooth. The way you speak, the, look in you eyes, even the way you walk, reminds me of metal. But metal is also__strong. Sometimes I can tell you're proud of that. And you have every right to be. But being like metal isn't always a good thing._

_It's such a shame._

_Why? Because…_

_Because when you smile it takes my breath away. Your lips curl up, ever so slightly, in an amused fashion, your eyes twinkle. To put it shortly, when you smile, I smile._

_Your smile is the most amazing thing in the world. But don't push yourself to smile more, don't force your laughs. I want real smiles. It's okay if you're not the smiling type._

_Besides, your eyes do all the smiling._

--

"Alright, one more time!" Irritated, but determined to give it another go, Ichigo swept his arm back out, palm resting upon his forearm, thrusting Zangetsu forward as the energy began to stream out of the sword, and into his body. Blue light flickered at Ichigo's feet, then began to rise around him, forming, swirling, spiraling into...

Nothing.

His face creased in frustration as the energies sputtered and died, leaving him on his knees, gasping for air. Sweat beaded from his brow, forming a small puddle as his feet, a puddle which he now smashed his fist into with aggravation.

"Damnit! What the hell am I doing wrong?!"

"Having trouble?"

"Eh?" His gaze swiveled to the right, his frown softening only slightly when he saw Hinamori. At that very moment, an idea struck him. Hinamori, she was ideal for this situation. With her kido expertise, maybe she could...

"Oi, Momo. You're coming with me." He said suddenly.

She nearly chocked on her own spit, "What? Why? _Where_?"

"I need to get this reiatsu problem hammered out, and you're here, so _you're_helping." Without further ado, he sharply extended his hand to her, the gesture unmistakeable. "Um...sure?" She managed, taking his hand and giving a helpless shrug as he pulled her along with him.

--

"Eh?" Ichigo pulled on the two bands circled about his forearms, the metal mesh stretching slightly, then returning to its normal shape, once released. They weren't really much, though they were slightly similar to those worn by Hisagi-san, he could feel them dampening his spirit energy, ever so slightly, so it'd be channeled into his feet..

"These are supposed to suppress my reaitsu?"

"Mmm." Momo nodded. "Go ahead, try to raise your spiritual pressure."

Ichigo gave the armbands one last yank, then shrugged. "Well, here goes nothing." Stabbing Zangetsu's tip into the ground, Ichigo crossed his arms, braced himself, and began to draw on the power, the immense reaitsu he'd known ever since birth, his grunt becoming a long, continuous shout.

"Y-your... power..." squeaked out Hinamori.

"Hm...? Oh, right! My bad." The spirit pressure dropped to allow Momo to breathe easier and to get up from the ground, albeit a little shakily, and with a slight stagger.

"W-Well?" She offered a hopeful smile with only a slight stutter. "How do you feel?"

"Well, I wish I coulda seen the look on Renji's face for this."

"So, you still haven't forgiven him?" Kira now stepped into view from behind the foremost left tree, his usual melancholy expression tightened into an unusual scowl. "Ichigo?"

"Nope." Ichigo answered coldly, his gaze hardening. "And I don't intend to. Not after what he did."

"Even if he regrets his actions?"

"Nope." Ichigo snorted, crossed his arms, and turned his gaze away.

"Hmm...I see." Izuru stared at Ichigo for a moment longer, before he suddenly burst forward, his katana dragging along the ground in a low, sweeping arc, coming straight for his friend's chest. "Then I'll have to remedy the situation by knocking some sense into you!"

Ichigo hissed in surprise.

"Holy...!!" The small crater burst into pieces, whereas _Ichigo_reappeared to the right, leaving a whispery rush of wind in his wake as he skidded to a halt. A thin slit of blood ran down his right cheek, a sore indication of a near miss.

"Wow!!" Hinamori looked on in nothing less than awe as Kira reappeared in his own flourishing flash step. "So that's shunpo!"

Ichigo however, was less than thrilled.

"What the hell Izuru?! Are you nuts?! You could've taken my head off!"

"And I might, if you don't come to your senses."

"What?!"

Rattled chestnut brown met frozen junniper green as Izuru stalked towards Ichigo, cleaning the blood from his blade with one clean swipe, splattering the ground with red droplets. "I'll do worse than that if you don't get over your stubborn sense of pride."

"Alright then, if that's how its gonna be... Kira, _now_come and get me!" Ichigo dared, beckoning the blond forward. "I won't fall for that trick again! I'll even keep these limiters on, whaddya say?!"

Kira sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly at the notion of doing such a thing. _'Great. Hinamori has that star-struck look in her eyes again, and now I get to chase Ichigo around and knock some sense into him. Whoop-dee-doo-da day.'_

A tedious task, but one he had to take up nonetheless.

Ichigo had just started unwrapping Zangetsu from its usual long white rag when Kira struck.

The younger male's right hand went right to Zangetsu's hilt and he used a sideways flash step to dodge the strike from Kira's zanpakuto before using another flash step to get right in the face of the man and clash against his sword. "Not bad! But if you think this'll make me apologize to Renji, then you're wrong! You can't beat me like this!"

A brief look of genuine confusion was on Kira's ever solemn face. "I can't?"

Ichigo pushed Izuru backwards and tried making a cut to the blonde's waist to separate his upper torso and his legs but he jumped over the blade while gathering some energy in his fist. "Hado No 33: Sokatsui!"

The youth did a backwards flash step while holding up his sword to protect him from the massive blue spirit energy. However because of the incantation being bypassed, the spell's effect wasn't as strong, resulting in only a few minor burns on the white sleeves of his uniform.

Again, Ichigo vanished, just before Izuru could connect, and this time, the blond nearly didn't get his zanpakuto up in time to block. Even so, the katana trembled in his fist, the force of the impact plowing his right foot into the ground...

Just as the left came up in a sharp swing to clip Ichigo in the chin.

Hard.

Grunting, Ichigo staggered backward, rubbing his jaw into a rueful grin as Izuru lowered his leg.

"Ouch. It's been awhile since we fought like this, hasn't it?" Spitting out a gob of blood, he got to his feet, grinning angrily. "Damn, I forgot you could kick like that, Kira. You been workin' out or something?"

"It's my last year here, Ichigo." Izuru began with a just a hint of arrogance in his voice, his chest puffing out with a bit of pride as he turned his attention towards Hinamori. "You and Momo still have two more years, but me? My time's just about up. It's only natural for me to try and improve all my skills while I still can and-

When he returned his gaze to the other second year, Ichigo was already gone.

"Y'know." Ichigo began, emerging to Kira's right, "Your pride, really is your biggest weakness, Izuru." As the fourth year choked in surprise, Ichigo grinned, bursting out of another shunpo, this time to the left, his sword sweeping in from the right with such speed and force that even a newborn could see that a block was simply out of the question.

"It's over, Izuru!"

Within a second, Izuru Kira was forced to make a weighty decision.

Blocking wasn't an option, and if he attacked at this angle, Ichigo would just disappear again, and their little dance would resume.

And so Izuru wisely ducked, allowing Ichigo to rush past him.

"Raise your head," Kira muttered quietly, his katana taking on an amethyst purple aura, eclipsing blade, then guard, then hilt, consuming the entire blad as he rose to his feet. "Wabisuke!"

With a loud snap, the blade lost its curve, creating two ninety degree angles, in other words, a square that strongly resembled a hook. Ichigo's face registered surprise, then swerved back as Kira pivoted on his prominent leg, the odd blade sweeping just inches over the head of Ukitake's future lieutenant, who batte the released blade away with his own, and shunpoed to a safe distance.

Ichigo scoffed in surprise at the odd looking katana.

"Hey, when did _you_ get shikai?"

"Right after you did, actually." Izuru replied solemnly, as they began to circle each other, neither wishing nor ready to make the next move in their duel, for fear of surrenduring the advantage. "Your first week of classes, I was supposedly out sick, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Ichigo quipped lightly.

Now, a small smile quirked at Kira's lips.

"Well, it was a lie!" With that, he rushed forward, forcing Ichigo into a rapid series of blocks and parries, none of the strikes getting through, but some of which came dangerously close to nicking his hands. "During that week, I learned to communicate with my sword! And thanks to that...I've become unbeatable."

Abruptly, Izuru stopped his wild barrage, and stepped back.

"Do you know the power of my sword?"

"What?"

"Renji and Momo know of it." Izuru replied self assuredly. "But do you?"

"..."

"I see. Tell me then, how many times have did you block my blade? Ichigo?"

Confused, Ichigo eyed Kira warily, ready for any sort of trick.

"I dunno. More than three times, I guess."

_"Five."_ Izuru answered for him, holding up his hand. "You deflected Wabisuke _five _times. That's...three hundred and twenty pounds of extra weight added onto that already heavy sword of yours."

"What...?!" Ichigo had just enough time to take one step forward, before Zangetsu slammed into the ground of its own accord, refusing to budge as Ichigo yanked on the handle. "What the...hell is this?! What did you do to my sword?!"

"Its the power of my zanpaktou." Kira explained, darting forward once more, rapping Ichigo on the back with his sword, and to the strawberry's surprise, the blade did not cut, even though he'd struck with the edge.

"Now do you understand?" Moments later, his arms gave out and his own body slammed into the ground, refusing to move, just like his sword. "Wabisuke doubles the weight of whatever it strikes. You can block or deflect it all you want, but the effect still remains the same. You cannot lift your sword now, Ichigo."You can barely even stand."

Now, with a deft twist of his wrist, Kira flipped up his sword, revealing that the edge, was actually on the inside of the square, as opposed to the outer edge. His grim face blocked the sun as Ichigo strained to look up at his teammate.

"Kira-kun!" Momo cried, but still, he advanced, heedless of her plea. "Don't! Don't do it!"

"You've lost, Ichigo." Now, Ichigo was very well aware of Wabisuke's edge. He could feel it brushing up against his throat, as Kira hooked it beneath his chin, an executioner, ready to behead the condemned. "Now you're just as helpless as Renji was. Powerless, against a superior opponent."

"What're you gettin' at?" Ichigo glowered up at Izuru from his humiliating position in the mud. "Are you gonna tell me, or are ya gonna keep beatin' around the bush, huh?!"

"Renji didn't want to let Rukia go, did you know that?" Izuru returned the question, his words cutting deep as a thin trickle of blood raced down Ichigo's perspiring throat. "Like you, he wanted to keep her close, to protect their friendship, and cherish that bond forever."

Abruptly, his serene gaze hardened, his tone darkening replaced with uncustomary bite and ferocity. "Unlike you! Ichigo! Renji, he went _beyond_ his own selfish wants, beyond _himself_, and let Rukia choose her own path, her own life! And what did you do?! Nothing!"

"Izuru!"

"Be quiet Momo!" Jerking his head around, Kira snapped at her, and Hinamori flinched under his unyielding glare. "He _needs_ to hear this!"

When he returned his attention to Ichigo, the second year refused to meet Kira's burning gaze. Izuru didn't mind. One way or another, Ichigo would get what was coming to him, and if a verbal tongue lashing was a part of it, then so be it.

"You...You wanted to hold her _back_, just to satisfy your own selfish desires! If you'd had your way, Rukia would still be languishing here, with her friends, yes, but with people who constantly underestimate her abilities! Do you have any idea what that's _like_ for her?! How much _pain_ it causes her to be seen as less than what she reall is?!"

"Don't you _dare_..." Ichigo stiffened, his voice cracking under the strain, the swell of emotions that rose up within him. "Not another word Kira!"

"Oh, I know all about it!" Kira scowled, a harsh scream escaping his lips, whilst Momo looked on, teary eyed. "You're too blinded by your own emotions, Ichigo! The truth is, you'd rather-

"Enough."

Izuru started when a hand clamped down on his wrist, preventing the regrettable action of performing that last, final tug. "Y-You?!" The blazing eyes of Renji Abarai answered his Kira Izuru's questioning gaze. With a nod, the fourth year sealed his blade, shakily pulling the katana away from Ichigo's throat, accompanied by a ragged sigh from both parties.

"I'll leave you two to it then."

Without another word, Izuru vanished in a burst of shunpo,leaving nothing but a small swirl of dust in his wake. Momo, realizing these two now just needed some time to mend their broken friendship, breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and announced that she too, was heading back.

Finding that he could move again, Ichigo buried his face in the ground, refusing to so much as look up or anywhere else. He couldn't bear to look at Renji, not after the humiliation and embarassment he'd just been dealt. Losing like that was bad enough, but what hurt, what _really hurt_, was the truth in Izuru's words.

"Hey." Renji sat down beside his ex-best friend. "You alright?"

Ichigo was _not_ alright. He'd been selfish, wanting to keep everyone together-no, that wasn't it, that wasn't it at all. He'd wanted to keep Rukia, to be around her whenever he could, and he'd been blinded by that desire. He'd been so blinded that it'd taken a thrashing from _Izuru_, the most complacent person he knew, to knock some sentiment of sense back into him

"How much of that did you hear?" Ichigo mumbled into the dirt.

"All of it." Renji scratched the back of his head. "He's right you know."

"Shaddap!" Ichigo groaned, clapping both hands over his ears. They still rang from the sharp impact of being slammed into the frozen dirt of November, and he suspected that he'd need to see medical attention for the ringing in that dampened all the sound. "I don't need to hear it from you too!"

Ichigo sat there for a moment, staring into space before he spoke again.

"It's just...I wanna keep her safe, ya know?"

"Moron." Renji sighed, smacking Ichigo across the back. "I feel the same way about her. You just gotta ease back a bit. She'll be fine, she can take care of herself, remember?"

Ichigo immediately recalled how she, a fellow outcast had bailed them out time after time back in the streets of Rukon, and sighed angrily, his shoulders slumping from the movement.

"This sucks, Renji. This _really_ sucks. Rukia's gone, Kira's graduating, and in two years, who knows?"

The redhead nodded knowingly, pushed himself off the ground, and rose to his feet. "I'm right there with ya." Ichigo glanced up as rival offered him a hand, which he immediately took, and allowed himself to be brought to his feet.

"But hey, well take it as it comes. All five of us."

"Five?" Ichigo felt a grin coming on. "Last time I checked, you and I were still rivals."

"Shaddap Ichigo." Renji chuckled, and the two exchanged their customary fist bump.

"Oi." Ichigo scowled. "It's Ichigo _Fuku-taichou_ to you. I got a spot in Ukitake-taichou's squad when I get outta here, remember? Give me some respect here!" Renji, who was normally wont to yell at Ichigo for bragging about that, instead shook his head, turning back towards the barracks, where a sweet smell was already wafting towards them, the two teenagers salivating as a result.

"Well C'mon then, _Fuku-taichou!"_ Renji good naturedly prodded Ichigo in the ribs and took off ahead of him. "It's Kira's last day here, and its Momo's turn to cook tonight!"

**_Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter! I tried to keep everyone in character, so I hoped it paid off. Next time: Kira's Graduation, Finals, tests, and...a Christmas ball? Wha? You mean....a dance?!_**

--

**_Preview:_**

"Ichigo-dono saved our lives from the Hollows that had surrounded us. There had to have been at least eight Huge Hollows and he took them down in a minute!" gushed Hinamori, immediately recalling the prior situation in which he'd emerged relatively unscathed.

Aizen arched an eyebrow.

"Kurosaki, is this true?"

"Well, yeah." Ichigo shrugged sheepishly. "I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess....


	4. Sayonara, Halycon Days

**I'm sure your all wondering why the time frame is so disorganized, and why I've jumped ahead a few times. Well, would you rather have me recount every single detail of a class that teaches the same subjects and material day in and out? No? Didn't think so.**

**Sayonara, Halycon Days.**

That night, the halls, the classrooms, the very academy itself were filled with music, light and laughter. It was a fitting send off for two of the academy's most prodigous students, Hisagi Shuheii and Kira Izuru, amongst them, as well as being able to accept new students, amongst them, one Toshirou Hitsugaya.

Various attractions were erected in mere hours, all for one final salute to the graduating class.

There was Karaoke, games, punch, and countless other festivities, but alas, the primary focus was...

Alchohol.

Student's of course, were forbidden to drink sake, but that didn't mean the teachers' didn't have any stashed away for their own personal use in the off hours of the evening. It took little effort on Hisagi's part to procure sake from one of the proctors', on the sole condition that they'd only use the _cheap_sake, not the uber expensive stuff stashed away in the secret wine cooler that supposedly no one knew of.

And of course, this only soared Shuheii's infamy to new heights, guaranteeing him a reputation as: 'The man who got every single soul in the graduating class shit faced drunk.'

With such chaos, it was doubtless that Ichigo would be swept up in the frenzy as well. At some point someone had given him a hat to wear, and now here he was just milling about with the crowd.

And as such, he wasn't watching were he was going, until it was far too late. As he swiveled his gaze forward once, more, chestnut brown eyes widened inexplicably, for at that moment, an unfortunate passerby slammed into him.

"Oof!" The air rushed out of his and the other's lungs as they collided, spraying boxes and curses everywhere.

"Watch were your going, dumbass!" She snapped at him, and he was just about to mutter an apology, when-

"Tatsuki-chaaaan!" A voice called from the crowd, "C'mon, we're gonna miss the karaoke! I wanted to hear Abarai-kun sing!" Now, the memories of Kurosaki Ichigo weren't so far gone that he didn't remember something of his past life, and that name was most certainly a part of it.

_'That name..._

He'd long since accepted that he'd been alive at some point, something had attacked him, and wham, he'd ended up here. Most likely, a soul reaper had performed a konso on him, before killing the hollow that had attacked him and the woman whom he was strongly beginning to believe to be his mother.

_'Wait.'_

Ichigo's eyes grew wide as he took a closer look at her, this girl clad in the red white robed hakama that all female students wore. Her spiky ebony black hair hair, slightly longer than he'd remembered, framing her chin, her face, from which defiantly familiar orbs shone.

No way. No friggin way.

This girl....he knew her!

"What did you...say your name was?"

"Ergh...she glared at him, and even before the words left her lips, he'd recognized her. "Tatsuki. Tatsuki Arisawa. There, now are you done ogling me, ecchi?"

"Ta-Tatsuki!" Ichigo croaked, surprised.

"Eh?" She frowned. "How do you know me? You some kinda perv, freak?

"It's me!" He snarled, infuriated by the insult. "Ichigo! Don't you remember?! We went to the dojo when we were kids!"

"Ichigo?" Recognition dawned in her eyes, but something told him it wasn't the kind he was looking for. Silver irises narrowed angrily, and from somewhere in her lower abdomen, came an angry growl. "I-chi-go?"

_'Wha-_

"Ichigo?! How _dare_ you use that name!" And just like that, the shorter girl had him pinned against the wall by the shoulders. She'd been strong when they were kids, but now, her strength was nothing short of monstrous. "Look punk, I don't know who you think you are, or how you know about _that_, but if you wanna keep your front teeth and your balls, you're not gonna use that name in front of me again!"

"Ask me something then!" He snarled back. "I'll prove it!"

"Fine," She rolled her eyes angrily. "I'll play your little game. How many times did I beat you pseudo-Ichigo?"

"One hundred times and I cried each time after you beat me!"

"H-How many times did you win then, f-faker?!"

"Once." He replied confidently.

Her eyes widened to the point of extrication.

"You?! You can't be!"

"Damnit! I am, I am, I AM ICHIGO!" He argued vehemently. "See for yourself!" He ripped off the hat, exposing the unruly mess of spiky orange hair. Her grip loosened, then tightened on him once more.

"Ichigo...no, you _can't_ be Ichigo." She shook her head, refusing to believe it, refusing to admit that. "I don't care what color your hair is or who you say you are, Ichigo is dead! Dead, dead, dead ! Do you hear me?! D-E-A-D !"

"Erm...so are you." He pointed out, sweatdropping at her logic. "That's why you're here. I'm dead, and apparently so are you."

"Ah!" She choked back a sob at his bland remark, tried, but failed miserably. Tears filled those wide eyes, hands flying to cover the small, tiny gasp that escaped her lips. Only Ichigo would say something like that, only he would give so blunt and obvious an answer, instead of vehemently insisting that he was indeed real.

"Tell me I'm not dreaming." She looked him over carefully, very carefully, daring him to break out into a grin, say she was just hallucinating, and in doing so, rouse her from slumber. You are Ichigo right? Ichigo, not a ghost? Not some wacked up dream?!"

"Um...no?" He managed, slightly unnerved by her behavior. "Like I said, I'm dead, not a ghost."

Relief, sadness, and joy flooded her all at once.

"Ichigo!"

"Gagh!" He choked out a breath as Tatsuki abruptly released her hold, only to seize him in a bone crushing embrace seconds later, her arms squeezing him with such force that for a moment, he nearly passed out.

"C-Can't...breathe...!!"

"Baka!" She wailed suddenly, releasing him a third time, now beating at his chest with her fists, sobbing quietly, softly, hoping that no one would hear, that no one would stop and stare. "Baka baka baka! Ichigo no bakaaaa!" Ichigo wasn't able to move, he was still trying to get his breath back.

"H-Hey, take it easy! You're making a scene!"

"You're the idiot! You stupid idiot!"

But when he noticed the stares, he recovered but on his best scary face and yelled:

"OI! What're ya deadbeats lookin' at?! I'll kill you!"

Renji and Kira happened to round the corner just then. Renji saw the ruckus, paused, froze, and dragged Izuru back around the corner with him. Together, they peeked back around to watch the action.

Everyone performed an about face and either scurried away, or realized that they had something very important to do elsewhere. Renji watched the scene unfold quietly, then decided it was time to get a particularly hammered Kira to bed before he ended up sleeping with someone.

Such was the final night of Kira Izuru, top of his graduating class, and Hisagi Shuheii.

A night of remembrance, a night of infamy.

--

With Kira and Hisagi-san gone, the remaining month of November passed by as little more than a blur to Kurosaki Ichigo. It was the same, basic routine. School, talk with Tatsuki, sleep, school, talk with Momo, sleep, school, hang with Renji, sleep.

Throwing in the basic patterns of eating and breathing, and you had one bored shinigami in training. His grades were up there in the A and B range, but he had no desire to make them perfect, unless it resulted in him getting out sooner, which he'd already realized wasn't going to happen until he graduated with everyone else. It was only as the leaves faded away, replaced by lifeless, barren trees, that he began to take notice of his surroundings again.

And then, on December twentieth, it happened.

"Um...Ichigo?"

"Eh?" He looked up from his window perch, his gaze swiveling to the right to finally notice Momo. He'd been thinking about her again, he realized. Thinking about Rukia, and the pain she must be in right now. It'd only been a year since he'd been given the grim news, but even so, Rukia wasn't the kind of person to let a traumatic event like that go.

Maybe that's why he wanted to graduate so badly, just as Hisagii and Kira had. Once he did, he'd Ukitake's lieutenant yes, but more importantly, he'd be by Rukia again, and though he didn't know what to do from there, but something told him, something just told him it'd work out in the end.

As such, he only caught the tail end of what Hinamori was saying.

"Christmas ball?" He made a face at the term, as if he didn't understand it. "The hell is that? Some lame after school activity?"

"N-No! It's nothing like that!" It came out forceful, surprising him.

"Then...what is it?"

"Well, um," Momo nervously tented her fingers as a flash of irritation gleamed through his amber orbs. "You see... A Christmas ball is something that's usually held before Christmas, and it only comes once a year. You get dressed up, ask someone out, and dance all night."

"Huh." Ichigo remarked blandly. "And you're telling me this because...?"

Now it was Hinamori's turn to be confused.

"Well....aren't you going?"

"Nah," Ichigo shook his head, turned back to the window, and for a moment, all seemed lost. "I didn't even know about it until now. Besides, it sounds lame, if you ask me" But then he continued to speak, his words taking on a slightly optimistic, intrigued tone. "Hey, is Renji going?"

"O-Of course!" She hastily supplied the lie, desperate to salvage the situation. Knowing Ichigo, he might just go if Renji was going. "Th-That's why I'm asking you!" Those two were rivals before, but now, now they tried to outdo each other in just about everything.

Ichigo glanced outside, still deep in thought.

She was obviously trying to get him to be social. He'd patched things up with Renji, but aside from his inner circles of friends, Ichigo simply refused to socialize with anyone else, and that included having any sort of relationship. As a matter of fact, he still had a bunch of fangirl letters to burn...

But if it was just something with his friends, then sure, why not?

What could possibly go wrong?

"Fine. You talked me into it." He sighed again. "I'll go."

"Huh?" For a moment, Hinamori couldn't believe her ears. She'd come here expecting to fail, expecting to trudge back to the dorms, dejected, defeated and depressed. Now, she felt her spirits soar, and her heart swell with happiness.

"O-Okay then! See you tommorow then, Ichigo-kun!"

He made a face at the _kun _suffix, but didn't comment on it as the bell rang, signalling the end of first period.

Momo giggled to hersel, skipped away from him, obviously happy about something, though he remained at a loss for it, even as her pace abruptly slowed

_You do realize there's a problem, don't you?_

Tobiume was right.

And that only problem was...

Abarai Renji.

Renji _wasn't_ going to the dance, and now she had to convince the stubborn redhead to get off his ass and come too. She also had to doll herself up, pick up a dress and get a new pair of heels, all by tomorrow! _And_ she had to do all this before those two knuckleheads bumped into each other and discovered the truth behind her lie!

Her shoulders slumped for a moment, then she took off in the opposite direction.

This was going to be a _looooong_ Thursday.

--

"You and me? At a dance?" Renji didn't even bother to look at her, he was too engrossed with his zanjutsu practice to take his eyes away from the sword and target. "Why so sudden, huh? I mean, we've been friends for a while, but-

"Nani?" There was confusion in her voice.

"You're asking me as your date, right?" He called back.

"NANI?!" She squeaked, nearly choking on her spit.

"So, is that it then?" Renji bit back on an amused chortle

"N-NO!" Momo sputtered furiously, stamping her feet, her apple cheeks flushing a deep crimson as Renji tried and failed again to stifle another bought of his hysteric laughter. "It's not that I'm asking you to come with me, I just need you to go to the dance!"

"Aha," A wide, knowing grin suddenly split Renji's face, and now he _did_look away from his practice. "This is about Ichigo, ain't it? You're trying to drag me to this shindig, so he'll come too, am I right?" He knew the answer immediately, and brown eyes gleamed with amusement as Hinamori tried, and failed to deny it.

"Um...uh...you see....its...complicated."

"Well?" He prodded her gently, determined to drag an answer out of her pursed lips. "This _is _about Ichigo, right? He didn't wanna go, so is this the reason why you're so bent on dragging me along? Well, is it, is it? Huh?" The blush suddenly turned a deep pink as Momo squeaked out an affirmative and managed a barely perceptible nod.

"Yatta! I knew it!" Renji declared triumphantly, standing tall with a laugh. "You've got the hots for Ichigo!"

"E-Eeep! R-Renji!" Hinamori waved her hands violently, terrified that anyone might overhear them. "Please be quiet!" She glanced about frantically, and even though she didn't pick up on anyone in the nearby vicinity, a terrible sense of dread filled her. "You can't tell Ichigo about this!"

"Oh sure," He snickered behind his hand. "Not a word."

Momo didn't believe him for a second, not by the dark aura she was exuding an aura that said 'tell and die.'

"Renji...if you tell him, I swear....I'll-I'll...

Rumors traveled fast in this school. The students didn't have much to do in their free time, so gossip was an activity that everyone, even the proffessor's, dabbled in from time to time.

She could _not_ let this get out!

Not ever!

"W-Wait, I was just kidding!"

"I'm sorry Renji, but you leave me no choice!"

"Eh?"

"Sajo Sabaku!" Momo declared suddenly, a golden stream of light flowing from her hands and into the air. Renji could only croak out a surprised curse as the chains wound their way around his arms and legs, rendering him motionless.

Deprived of balance, he crashed to the floor, unable to break free, yet thrashing violently as Momo loomed over him menacingly, reaching into the pack she had strapped to her back.

Renji paled as she withdrew an object from it.

"?! Wait, what're you gonna do with that, doing-oi-OI!"

**_Next time: Dances, Dresses, Party Crashers? An accidental double date?! Ichigo's December dilemna!_**


End file.
